


The Bridges Between Worlds

by orphan_account



Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: One year on from saying goodbye, Will and Lyra both return to the Botanical Garden and remember.
Relationships: Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry
Kudos: 25





	The Bridges Between Worlds

The garden was quiet; barely a breath of Midsummer wind dared to disturb the leaves on the very trees Will remembered, barely changed, constant. Kirjava circled his legs as he walked slowly. He would never lose the feeling of rightness, of completion that being with his dæmon brought after having her ripped from his breast in such a great betrayal as he would never see again.

They were inseperable; Kirjava only left Will's side when absolutely necessary, and only then for a few days at a time. Was it the same for Pantalaimon, she thought. He had been with Lyra for so long, it would have been very different to be taken from her than it was to be taken from Will with no name, no form. 

Will suddenly noticed a small sapling on the verge of the path, just before the corner. It smelled resinous, but also fragrant, as the small leaves bagan to unfurl into the summer sun. Mary's tree. He wondered if it would grow to be the same as the trees he had seen with the mufela. It seed so long ago, but perhaps that was just the separation. It seemed like a lifetime, not a year. 

Kirjava spotted the weathered wooden bench, and bounded away from Will to perch on the worn slats, lithe and sinuous. Will followed but slower, trying to postpone the grief that he would feel when nothing happened. He finally sat down, pressing himself hard against the creaking bench as if to force himself through the barrier separating him and Lyra. He knew he should stop, that no amount of strength or power would ever let him see her again, but still, his soul would never stop hoping. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lyra walked gently through the Botanical Garden with a heavy heart. Pan was bounding through the trees; it had been weeks since she had seen him, yet he had returned for this. There was a rift between them now, their bond was damaged - not broken, but fractured, a messy break that would be hard to heal. They were both regretting the estrangement, yet both to proud to talk without arguing over petty squabbles. They were still young, and the betrayal had shaken them both terribly. 

Lyra wondered if it was the same with Will. She doubted it; their bond was never made before it shattered, and Kirjava had nothing to forgive. 

They were close, now, one more turn of the path and she would be able to see the bench. Suddenly, Lyra stooped, confused. A shadow was cast onto the path, a sapling, yet it was cast by nothing. Lyra smiled slightly and stood back up. She wondered if it was something in Will's world creating the shadow. 

She kept walking. With each step, the memories of her goodbye to Will strengthened and seemed ever more vivid and painful. Would he even be here? Wasn't it more likely for him to have moved on? He owed her nothing, nothing to make him come here, in another world. She sat down, and the church bells rang out. Midday. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The clock struck twelve, and Will sank into the bench. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave for the next hour, to lose the possibility of seeing Lyra again, however impossible it was. Kirjava suddenly stood, alert, much larger than any cat had a right to be. Will sat up straighter also, feeling the same thing. A small unobtrusive feeling, a presence in his mind. A delicious feeling of calm and peace washed over him, similar to when he had been reunited with Kirjava, who was now pressed into his side, both overcome with love. They smiled, trance-like, and surrendered to happy memories. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lyra felt it too. Will, who was so far away, yet seemingly right here in her mind. He was thinking about her, and the gentle pressure of fruit against his lips. She thought about him too, kisses stolen under the hot sun, searching for their dæmons, their heartfelt goodbye, right here, but so much farther away than she could ever travel. 

She felt a sudden pressure on her neck. Pan had leapt down from the branches onto her shoulders and curled around her neck, the tip of his tail just brushing her chin. It was the first time they had touched in months. 

A man walked by, not saying anything to disrupt the special moment, not realising there was a special moment, just a girl and her dæmon, the most natural thing in this world. 

Lyra looked down at Pan and remembered Will. Will looked down at Kirjava and remembered Lyra. 

And they were at peace.


End file.
